VOCABULARY F I L M S T U D I E S

VOCABULARY F I L M S T U D I E S

MOVIE FILM Movie Film Motion picture Motion picture Generally made for entertainment attracting the maximum audience Generally made for artistic purposes and is informative with a lesson.

A movie that provides a factual record or report DOCUMENTARY

BASED ON When a film is based on actual events, the balance between fact and fiction is shifted in the other direction. In many cases, the names of people and places are retained. Unlike in documentary filmmaking, where some degree of accuracy is usually expected, in a story based on reality, liberties will generally be taken with details: several minor or tangential figures pressed into an amalgamation, passage of time being compressed or extended, and so on. Nonetheless, the core elements, such as the events, the themes, and the main personae, serve as representations of themselves. These are interpretations of the known events. These are not intended to serve as a retelling of the actual momentto-moment occurrences and are in fact significantly fictionalized

INSPIRED BY A film that was inspired by actual events is primarily fictional, but the writer owes his or her idea for the film to something that took place in reality. Perhaps the writer read a news story or a historical account or has been fascinated by a particular person, group, or event. The resulting film takes its inspiration from those events without claiming to represent anything that may have actually happened. The characters are generally original to the screenplay or only vaguely resemble the real life individuals. Basically, inspired by a true story means that something made someone think, That would make a good movie.

SHORT FILM Any motion picture not long enough to be considered a feature film An original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less

ANIMATED FILM Motion picture that involves individual drawings, paintings, or illustrations which are photographed frame by frame Appeal to children, but they can easily be enjoyed by all.

ACADEMY AWARDS Awards for technical and artistic merit in the American film industry given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (AMPAS) to recognize excellence in cinematic achievements as assessed by the Academy s voting membership. The Oscars

CAST & CREW Cast Crew Actors performing in the production People working behind the scenes Technical Lighting Staging

A person who portrays a character in a performance ACTOR

ACTRESS A person who portrays a character in a performance female

SUPPORTING ACTOR An actor who performs a role in a play or film below that of the leading actor(s) and above that of a bit part

SUPPORTING ACTRESS An actor who performs a role in a play or film below that of the leading actor(s) and above that of a bit part female

a small acting role in a play or a movie. BIT PART

a brief appearance or voice part of a known person in a work of the performing arts, typically unnamed or appearing as themselves. CAMEO

EXTRA Background actor Non-speaking role In an audience On a busy street

DIRECTOR A person who supervises the actors, camera crew, and the other staff for a movie, play, TV program, etc. Controls a film s artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (script) while guiding the technical crew & actors in the fulfillment of that vision. Viewed as the author of the film

PRODUCER Person responsible for the financial and managerial aspects of making a movie, broadcast, play, etc. Plan & coordinate various aspects of film production Selecting script Coordinating writing Directing & editing Arranging financing Selling the film Arranging the distribution rights Hiring staff Creating filming schedules Checking & approving locations

A person who writes a screenplay SCREENWRITER

SCREENPLAY Script Written work for films, videogame, or TV show Original Created for that film Adapted Based on existing pieces of writing

CINEMATOGRAPHY The science or the art of making motion pictures by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as film stock.

CINEMATOGRAPHER Director of photography Chief over the camera & light crews Responsible for making artistic and technical decisions related to the image Framing Costumes Make-up Lighting Assistant to the post-producer for color correction and grading The director s right hand

KEY GRIP Person in film crew who is in charge of the camera equipment Supervises all grip (lighting & rigging) crews and reports to the cinematographer Possible job description Attends location scouts meets with cinematographer determines what tools needed orders and prepares required equipment transports equipment to filming location coordinates with cinematographer to control lighting, camera movement, and set-up

GRIP Lighting & rigging technician in filmmaking and video production industries Work closely with camera department to provide support, especially in the camera is mounted to a dolly, crane, or in an unusual position Work closely with electrical department to create lighting set-ups necessary for a shot under the direction of cinematographer

DOLLY GRIP Dedicated technician trained to operate the camera dolly Places, levels, and moves the dolly track and then pushes & pulls the dolly & usually a camera operator and camera assistant as riders

A lighting technician GAFFER

A non-trivial and often dangerous piece of physical action often performed by a stunt performer or stunt double. STUNT

STUNT DOUBLE A specialist who performs stunts Takes the part of another actor for a stunt Rarely speak Chosen to resemble the actor

Illusions or visual tricks used in film, TV, theater, video games, etc. to simulate the imagined events in a story or virtual world SPECIAL EFFECTS

MECHANICAL EFFECTS Practical or physical effects Live-action shooting Use of mechanized props, scenery, scale models, animatronics, pyrotechnics, atmospheric effects

OPTICAL EFFECTS Photographic effects Images of film frames are created photographically Multiple exposure Mattes Optical printer

COMPUTER GENERATED IMAGERY CGI Effects created by and with the use of a computer

COSTUME DESIGNER In charge of wardrobe In charge of designing, creating, acquiring, and hiring all costumes for actors and extras

STUDIO A company that makes movies A production & film distributor that releases a substantial number of films annually and consistently commands a significant share of box office revenue 20 th Century Fox Warner Bros. Paramount Columbia Universal Pictures Walt Disney Studios Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer United Artists RKO

BOX OFFICE A place at a theater where tickets are bought or reserved Used to refer to the commercial success of a movie, play, or actor in terms of the audience size or takings they command

TOP BILLING Where you appear on bills (old word for posters & other printed promotions) The biggest star s name is the 1 st listed in BIG letters

BREAK THE 4 TH WALL When characters address the audience Deadpool

FILM SCORE Movie music Original music written specifically to accompany a film Orchestral, instrumental, and/or choral pieces

Recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture SOUNDTRACK

TECHNICOLOR a series of color motion picture processes, the first version dating from 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. It was the second major color process, after Britain's Kinemacolor, and the most widely used color process in Hollywood from 1922 to 1952. Technicolor became known and celebrated for its highly saturated color, and was initially most commonly used for filming musicals such as The Wizard of Oz (1939) and Down Argentine Way (1940), costume pictures such as The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) and Gone with the Wind (1939), and animated films such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and Fantasia (1940).

ONE - LINER A short joke or witty remark

GENRE A category of artistic composition characterized by similarities in form, style, or subject matter type

SILENT FILMS A film with NO synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. Silent film era lasted from 1895 to 1936. The dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, mime, and title cards with a written indication of the plot or key dialogue.

DRAMA All forms of cinema or television that involve fictional stories Serious Not a comedy nor a tragedy

Films that make the audience laugh COMEDY

A film in which the protagonist end up in a series of challenges that typically include violence, extended fighting, physical feats, and/or frantic chases ACTION

HORROR Movie that seeks to elicit a physiological reaction, such as elevated heartbeat, through the use of fear Movies that shock the audience

Songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. MUSICALS

WESTERN Set primarily in the later half of the 19 th century in the American Old West Often centers around the life of a nomadic cowboy or gunfighter armed with a revolver and a rifle who rides a horse.

SPAGHETTI WESTERN Movies about American Old West made cheaply in Europe, typically with an Italian producer and/or director

A style of filmmaking with a large scale, sweeping scope, and spectacle focused on a heroic character EPIC

ROM COM Romantic Comedy Light-hearted, humorous plotlines, centered on romantic ideas A funny movie about a love story that ends happily.

PARODY Subgenre of comedy SPOOF Work created to mock, comment on, or poke fun at original work, its subject, author, style by means of humorous, satiric, or ironic imitation

A story, song, play, film, or broadcast that moves or is intended to move its audience to tears TEAR-JERKER

BIOPIC Biographical film Dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based persons or people Real name is used.

SCI-FI Science fiction film Uses speculative, fictional sciencebased depictions of phenomena that are NOT fully accepted by mainstream science

FOREIGN FILM World cinema Refer to films of all countries other than one s own, regardless of native language

BLOCK BUSTER Movie that is made with a large budget and big stars Extremely popular Brings in a lot of money

SHORT FILM any motion picture not long enough to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all credits".

REMAKE REIMAGINING A film that is based on an earlier work and tells the same, or a very similar story

SEQUEL Narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theater, TV, music, videogame, etc. that continues the story of or expands upon some earlier work

TRAILER Preview of coming attraction An advertisement or a commercial for a feature film

FILM REVIEW Popular way for critics to assess a film s overall quality and determine whether or not they think the film is worth recommending

RATING The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) film rating system is used in the United States and its territories to rate a film's suitability for certain audiences based on its content. The MPAA rating system is a voluntary scheme that is not enforced by law; films can be exhibited without a rating, although many theaters refuse to exhibit nonrated or NC-17 rated films. The MPAA rating system is one of various motion picture rating systems that are used to help parents decide what films are appropriate for their children.

MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA (MPAA) FILM RATING SYSTEM Rated G: material is suitable for all audiences. Rated PG: Parental Guidance Suggested some material may not be suitable for children. Rated PG-13: Parents Strongly Cautioned some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. Rated R: Restricted under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian. Rated X: No one under 17 admitted.